Where is our vaccine???

[MOMOH]

It seems we can be used by politicians to make announcements and get publicity for themselves, but when it counts, aka COVID vaccine for Sumter County, we're just "chopped liver". Where's our vaccine?

The Sumter County Board of Commissioners released the following statement on COVID-19 vaccination:

"The Sumter County Health Department has not yet established a list, line, or registry for an individual to sign up to receive the vaccine as the State of Florida has not defined the schedule and volume of distribution to Sumter County at this time.

Please watch the Sumter County Health Department website and press releases for future announcements."

[tvbound]

Hopefully, it's being given to those who have to work and interact with the public, instead of those who have the ability to stay home and are simply just bored and feel inconvenienced.

[B-flat]

Opinion | When Can I Get a Coronavirus Vaccine in America? - The New York Times (https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2020/12/03/opinion/covid-19-vaccine-timeline.html)

Not sure how accurate the NYT estimator is? I entered my age and the other related questions for Marion County and Sumter County. In Marion it tells me there are 161,000 others ahead of me. In Sumter it indicates 62,000 ahead of me. Being familiar with the demographics for Sumter I'm not so sure how accurate the estimates are.

[Bay Kid]

It will take years for everyone to get the vaccine at the rate we are going.

[Klatu]

I suspect the state does not yet have clear idea of how many doses are coming and is therefore reluctant to put a firm schedule in place. We may get impatient but let's just be remember that the healthcare folks are just as anxious as we are to roll out as many vaccinations as we are. And the state officials know we are watching them. So let's not get too bent out of shape. After all, we were told by the doomsayers months ago that there was no way we could develop a vaccine by end of year. But the President's Operation Warp Speed did just that. Kudos to all involved and the shots are coming....

[Dr Winston O Boogie jr]

From what I understand either the federal government or the state government has determined which counties have the most need for the vaccine. Strangely, Sumter and Lake are not among the first to get it. I've heard that Marion has gotten some.

I'm not sure what the criterion is for selecting those counties but I suspect that it might be the number of case and/or deaths in those counties.

Logically it might seem that The Villages would be the first place to send it because of the average age and number of health issues but I believe that the number of cases and deaths in The Villages has been relatively low when compared to other counties. That's a good thing. We must be doing something right.

Anyroad, the vaccine will get here when it gets here. We should be thankful that due to operation Warp Speed, it has been developed and approved faster than any medication in history. If not for Warp Speed we could have been waiting years for this to be developed and approved. In addition Warp Speed has made it possible for future medications to get on the market faster than ever before.

The vaccines were approved a few weeks ago. Did anyone think that it was going to be a few days or weeks before they got it? I've heard many people say that it would be sometime in the summer before it got out. My guess is that we will see it in the next month or two.

And remember, it is a two stage vaccine. I believe that the wait time between the first and second dose is three to six months. My understanding is that the first dose reduces your chances of contracting the virus by 50% and the second by 95%. So even if you get the first shot next week it will be a few months before you are 95% safe.

So be patient. Things are not going to change dramatically for quite while. It's not like 330 million doses can be made stored and shipped within weeks. You'll get you vaccine when you get it.

What we can do without is dramatic headlines like that in the online news this morning. (Desperate Villagers angry about lack of information about COVID-19 vaccine) Do we really need that kind of negativity?

[Two Bills]

From what I understand either the federal government or the state government has determined which counties have the most need for the vaccine. Strangely, Sumter and Lake are not among the first to get it. I've heard that Marion has gotten some.

I'm not sure what the criterion is for selecting those counties but I suspect that it might be the number of case and/or deaths in those counties.

Logically it might seem that The Villages would be the first place to send it because of the average age and number of health issues but I believe that the number of cases and deaths in The Villages has been relatively low when compared to other counties. That's a good thing. We must be doing something right.

Anyroad, the vaccine will get here when it gets here. We should be thankful that due to operation Warp Speed, it has been developed and approved faster than any medication in history. If not for Warp Speed we could have been waiting years for this to be developed and approved. In addition Warp Speed has made it possible for future medications to get on the market faster than ever before.

The vaccines were approved a few weeks ago. Did anyone think that it was going to be a few days or weeks before they got it? I've heard many people say that it would be sometime in the summer before it got out. My guess is that we will see it in the next month or two.

And remember, it is a two stage vaccine. I believe that the wait time between the first and second dose is three to six months. My understanding is that the first dose reduces your chances of contracting the virus by 50% and the second by 95%. So even if you get the first shot next week it will be a few months before you are 95% safe.

So be patient. Things are not going to change dramatically for quite while. It's not like 330 million doses can be made stored and shipped within weeks. You'll get you vaccine when you get it.

What we can do without is dramatic headlines like that in the online news this morning. (Desperate Villagers angry about lack of information about COVID-19 vaccine) Do we really need that kind of negativity?

The Phizer vaccine is 21 days between first and second jab.
I have not heard any longer than 28 days between jabs for other manufactured vaccines.

[ckcapaul]

From what I understand either the federal government or the state government has determined which counties have the most need for the vaccine. Strangely, Sumter and Lake are not among the first to get it. I've heard that Marion has gotten some.

I'm not sure what the criterion is for selecting those counties but I suspect that it might be the number of case and/or deaths in those counties.

Logically it might seem that The Villages would be the first place to send it because of the average age and number of health issues but I believe that the number of cases and deaths in The Villages has been relatively low when compared to other counties. That's a good thing. We must be doing something right.

Anyroad, the vaccine will get here when it gets here. We should be thankful that due to operation Warp Speed, it has been developed and approved faster than any medication in history. If not for Warp Speed we could have been waiting years for this to be developed and approved. In addition Warp Speed has made it possible for future medications to get on the market faster than ever before.

The vaccines were approved a few weeks ago. Did anyone think that it was going to be a few days or weeks before they got it? I've heard many people say that it would be sometime in the summer before it got out. My guess is that we will see it in the next month or two.

And remember, it is a two stage vaccine. I believe that the wait time between the first and second dose is three to six months. My understanding is that the first dose reduces your chances of contracting the virus by 50% and the second by 95%. So even if you get the first shot next week it will be a few months before you are 95% safe.

So be patient. Things are not going to change dramatically for quite while. It's not like 330 million doses can be made stored and shipped within weeks. You'll get you vaccine when you get it.

What we can do without is dramatic headlines like that in the online news this morning. (Desperate Villagers angry about lack of information about COVID-19 vaccine) Do we really need that kind of negativity?

We need to have patience, the wait time between 1st and second shot is 3 to 4 weeks depending on which vaccine you get.

[rjn5656]

Moderna I believe is 14 days.

[biker1]

28 days. Google.

Moderna I believe is 14 days.

[Bonnevie]

to all who say that Operation Warp Speed is the reason we have vaccines, I would say that's partly true. Pfizer was already working on it's vaccine and did not take any money from the federal govt. for it's development. So it would have been available. and you may remember, as late as Nov., this administration turned down offers for more doses.

as to distribution, I'll just point out the following quote: ‘I failed’: Operation Warp Speed leader takes responsibility for Covid-19 vaccine distribution confusion.

What operation warp speed did was give private companies funding to do their work.

so while Operation Warp Speed can be praised for help with development, it has fallen far short in distribution--the part the govt. is responsible for. just like with testing, it's being dumped on the states with no funding or plan. it's a free for all again.

hey, I'm not the one complaining about the Villages not getting the vaccine. I knew it would be like this because of past experiences with the govt. handling of this crisis.

I will wait until there's a good plan for distribution of the initial and follow-up shot. I have no desire to endlessly try to call a number for a neighboring county or show up somewhere hours or days ahead--because that's the great distribution plan we have now.

[Dr Winston O Boogie jr]

OK, I wasn't sure about the time between doses but I was evidently wrong.

I just read an interesting article. The Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices has recommended that senior citizens be moved toward the back of the line because racial and ethnic minorities are under-represented in this group. In other words, seniors are too white.

I wonder if this is why places like Orlando are getting the virus first.

[LuvtheVillages]

OK, I wasn't sure about the time between doses but I was evidently wrong.

I just read an interesting article. The Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices has recommended that senior citizens be moved toward the back of the line because racial and ethnic minorities are under-represented in this group. In other words, seniors are too white.

I wonder if this is why places like Orlando are getting the virus first.

Although the Advisory Committee made that recommendation, our governor, in a speech he made last week in The Villages, said that in Florida the over-65 people, our parents and grandparents, would remain in line after medical professionals and nursing home residents.

I applaud that decision. It seems to me that we need to protect the people who, if they get COVID, are more likely to use hospital care and medical resources. Younger people who get sick are much less likely to need those resources. By keeping seniors out of hospitals we reduce the death rate more and preserve the availability of hospital care.

[karostay]

Over here ! Over here! Me First !Me First !

The Village chant

[dahrens1]

Sumter County residents can call (352) 569-3102 starting Jan. 4 to schedule an appointment.

Before signing up, residents must review the pre-vaccination checklist link provided by The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention at: https://www.cdc.gov/vaccines/covid-19/downloads/pre-vaccination-screening-form.pdf.

[Bonnevie]

Broward ran out of slots in hours. booked thru Feb. and closed down appts for now. I can just imagine what it will be like here

[Regor]

Please folks have faith after all , those 20 million. doses will be here by Jan1 and everything will be wonderful just wonderful

With 330 million people in the USA, 20 million won't go far

[patfla06]

With 330 million people in the USA, 20 million won't go far

Vaccine is for those over the age of 16.

[Jim 9922]

Already it is starting --- push, push; shove, shove; give to Me; I want; Me first!

[biker1]

They are making more.

With 330 million people in the USA, 20 million won't go far

[Dan9871]

Here if the Sumter County announcement about the availability and signup for the Vaccine.

COVID-19 Vaccination | Florida Department of Health in Sumter (http://sumter.floridahealth.gov/newsroom/2020/12/COVID-19Vaccination.html)

[blueash]

OK, I wasn't sure about the time between doses but I was evidently wrong.

I just read an interesting article. The Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices has recommended that senior citizens be moved toward the back of the line because racial and ethnic minorities are under-represented in this group. In other words, seniors are too white.

I wonder if this is why places like Orlando are getting the virus first.

When you tell us what the ACIP said it would be my preference that you would include a link the the recommendation. Do you have one? You are of course wrong in what you wrote. You are not getting your information from accurate truthful sources. Please consider double checking what you read before spreading falsehoods.
You can read the actual ACIP recommendations HERE (https://www.cdc.gov/vaccines/hcp/acip-recs/vacc-specific/covid-19.html)

That link gives the recommendation listed by date of publication. The most recent statement as supplies began to be available and it was clear that there was not going to be enough vaccine to vaccinate 20 million by year end as had been promised, that recommendation is HERE (https://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/volumes/69/wr/mm695152e2.htm?s_cid=mm695152e2_w)

Regarding your specific false statement that the ACIP suggesting moving seniors to the back of the line:

Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) recommended that health care personnel and long-term care facility residents be offered COVID-19 vaccination first (Phase 1a).
In Phase 1b, COVID-19 vaccine should be offered to persons aged ≥75 years and non–health care frontline essential workers, and in Phase 1c, to persons aged 65–74 years, persons aged 16–64 years with high-risk medical conditions, and essential workers not included in Phase 1b.


Do you see anything there about race determining who gets vaccine? Do you see anywhere where it says give it to POC instead of the elderly? No you don't. Nobody is picking on white people by denying them vaccine because of their color.

[tsmall22204]

Its in today's sum newspaper.

[BillY41]

Phone number was taken down as it became overloaded. It is first come first served at specified locations.

[J1ceasar]

State facts , it's two weeks between shots as suggested .

[gregcharlesnelson@gmail]

I'm 73 and have mucho conditions.but hell I'm retired so no hurry. Take care of the car givers first!

[Rwirish]

Patience grasshopper.

[T186021]

OK, I wasn't sure about the time between doses but I was evidently wrong.

I just read an interesting article. The Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices has recommended that senior citizens be moved toward the back of the line because racial and ethnic minorities are under-represented in this group. In other words, seniors are too white.

I wonder if this is why places like Orlando are getting the virus first.

Very interesting, what was the source of this article? :ohdear:

[JimJohnson]

If your are retired you should be last to be vaccinated. Vaccinate those that have to go to work. Old retirees can quarantine and wait for a vaccination in the safety of their home. This not the time to be selfish.

[Mamaderby]

PATIENCE PEOPLE! Be thankful and grateful that vaccines have been developed so quickly and patiently wait your turn.

[Girlcopper]

It seems we can be used by politicians to make announcements and get publicity for themselves, but when it counts, aka COVID vaccine for Sumter County, we're just "chopped liver". Where's our vaccine?

The Sumter County Board of Commissioners released the following statement on COVID-19 vaccination:

"The Sumter County Health Department has not yet established a list, line, or registry for an individual to sign up to receive the vaccine as the State of Florida has not defined the schedule and volume of distribution to Sumter County at this time.

Please watch the Sumter County Health Department website and press releases for future announcements."
Front line people and nursing homes are and SHOULD get it first. Wait your turn and eventually youll get it. But its obviously fair that these others get it before us

[ts12755]

Chinas plan was to get old and sick to not be a burden on society. Covid will stop pensions, social security, and Medicare. China will run the world before 2030 and they are working their plan. Wait till you see Covid-23. Keep buying Chinese, fools.

[ts12755]

Wah Wah. Wah... poor baby.

[kens613]

Yes but i wonder how and who formed Warp Speed!! It didnt just happen and picked all of those experts who have done a superb job without someones supervision!! Or did it just form itself?? Come on man!!

[ts12755]

If you hate America and hate your life, move on to the next realm.

[Bill14564]

State facts , it's two weeks between shots as suggested .

"State facts...." Good advice. Pfizer is 21 days (3 weeks) between shots and Moderna is 28 days (4 weeks) between shots. Information available from many sources including page 3 of this data sheet (https://www.cdc.gov/vaccines/covid-19/downloads/pre-vaccination-screening-form.pdf) put out by the CDC.

[Lchughart@gmail.com]

Got my vaccine yesterday which to me is very impressive and thanks to the administration for the warp speed efforts. Shame on Pfizer for not announcing their progress before the election in an attempt to influence the election.

[Bill14564]

.....

Do you see anything there about race determining who gets vaccine? Do you see anywhere where it says give it to POC instead of the elderly? No you don't. Nobody is picking on white people by denying them vaccine because of their color.

This criticism might be a bit harsh. From the CDC link that was provided it is possible to find the ACIP recommendations and in particular the evidence table for allocations where the following two statements can be found.

In the Ethics section for essential workers:
Mitigate health inequities: COVID-19 vaccination helps to address the disproportionate burden of COVID-19 among some racial and ethnic minorities who are overrepresented in subsets of essential workers.

In the Ethics section for persons over 65 years:
Mitigate health inequities: Although racial and ethnic minority groups are underrepresented among persons >65 years,

While the ACIP certainly didn't say "old people are too white," the racial makeup of the different groups clearly was part of the consideration.

[jbrown132]

to all who say that Operation Warp Speed is the reason we have vaccines, I would say that's partly true. Pfizer was already working on it's vaccine and did not take any money from the federal govt. for it's development. So it would have been available. and you may remember, as late as Nov., this administration turned down offers for more doses.

as to distribution, I'll just point out the following quote: ‘I failed’: Operation Warp Speed leader takes responsibility for Covid-19 vaccine distribution confusion.

What operation warp speed did was give private companies funding to do their work.

so while Operation Warp Speed can be praised for help with development, it has fallen far short in distribution--the part the govt. is responsible for. just like with testing, it's being dumped on the states with no funding or plan. it's a free for all again.

hey, I'm not the one complaining about the Villages not getting the vaccine. I knew it would be like this because of past experiences with the govt. handling of this crisis.

I will wait until there's a good plan for distribution of the initial and follow-up shot. I have no desire to endlessly try to call a number for a neighboring county or show up somewhere hours or days ahead--because that's the great distribution plan we have now.
I posted something similar to this regarding the vaccine distribution the other day to another thread. I was listening to an epidemiologist last week and he made a lot of sense. He was saying the Federal government and the states have this all wrong in the way this is being distributed. His points were this.

Why was the vaccine developed? To stop people from dying.
Who are the people who are dying? The vast majority of those over the age of 65.
His point was by the end of January it is estimated that fifty to sixty million doses of the vaccine are to be available. This was enough to vaccinate all hospital workers, nursing home employees and patients as well as everyone over the age of 65 in the country. By doing this death rates and hospitalizations would dramatically freeing up the hospitals. Once this was accomplished then you would be free to vaccinate front line workers and start vaccinating those left from oldest, those with underlying conditions to youngest. People who are in their twenties, thirty’s and forties who are healthy and have no conditions do not need the shot at this time. This would result in eradicating the virus as quickly as possible.By doing it the way they are they are picking winners and losers and this never works out well and will only prolong getting this under control. I thought he made a lot of sense.

[Mardarlowe]

We have to have something for you to whine about. Getting old.

[Dr Winston O Boogie jr]

Over here ! Over here! Me First !Me First !

The Village chant

In this case, it seems justified. Is there anywhere on the planet with a higher concentration of at risk people?

[Dr Winston O Boogie jr]

Very interesting, what was the source of this article? :ohdear:

It was in yesterday's Daily Sun.

[OhioBuckeye]

It seems we can be used by politicians to make announcements and get publicity for themselves, but when it counts, aka COVID vaccine for Sumter County, we're just "chopped liver". Where's our vaccine?

The Sumter County Board of Commissioners released the following statement on COVID-19 vaccination:

"The Sumter County Health Department has not yet established a list, line, or registry for an individual to sign up to receive the vaccine as the State of Florida has not defined the schedule and volume of distribution to Sumter County at this time.

Please watch the Sumter County Health Department website and press releases for future announcements."

I agree with your comment. But remember politicians really think they’re Little Gods! That makes them better than Chopped Liver. Very good comment, MOMOH.

[Wanda GV]

Sumter starts taking calls Monday for getting appointments for the vaccine. It was in the news yesterday.

[billethkid]

Sumter starts taking calls Monday for getting appointments for the vaccine. It was in the news yesterday.

Good luck!!!
Will make toilet paper and gas lines look inviting!!

[Topspinmo]

It will take years for everyone to get the vaccine at the rate we are going.


listing to main stream media I see?

If you want to know what’s really going on in world that revolves around China and how they infiltrated the world now, utube NTD china in focus.


It’s states and local governments responsible to inoculate the population. They federal government has provided the means for your FREE vaccination, up to drug company’s to produce it and get in distribution and states to inoculate.

I find it strange that china going to get 100 million doses from Pfizer Germany in January and February ( when Europe not better off than us?) Wasn’t China bragging they has had the first vaccine. China workers that been vaccinated traveled to Africa when the got off plane they tested positive.

[Topspinmo]

With 330 million people in the USA, 20 million won't go far

Well, if FDA hadn’t wasted month to approve it after the study we might be further down the road.

[rogerk]

In my opinion, the Governor has the priorities right - give the vaccine to those who are at the greatest risk of dying from the COVID-19 virus.

[blueash]

This criticism might be a bit harsh. From the CDC link that was provided it is possible to find the ACIP recommendations and in particular the evidence table for allocations where the following two statements can be found.

In the Ethics section for essential workers:
Mitigate health inequities: COVID-19 vaccination helps to address the disproportionate burden of COVID-19 among some racial and ethnic minorities who are overrepresented in subsets of essential workers.

In the Ethics section for persons over 65 years:
Mitigate health inequities: Although racial and ethnic minority groups are underrepresented among persons >65 years,

While the ACIP certainly didn't say "old people are too white," the racial makeup of the different groups clearly was part of the consideration.

It is part of the role of the ACIP and the CDC to be sure that medical care is not delivered first to white people because they are white people. If you are familiar with the Tuskegee experiment where the United States Government deliberately chose to not treat Black people for syphilis when a treatment was available just so they could watch and see how many died or were made blind, demented, deafened or otherwise harmed by the disease. The CDC was part of that shameful event which continued to not treat Black people for 40 years. This was not a one or two year study. Because of that racist act endorsed by the US Public Health service, the CDC, and the US government, the ACIP and the CDC now try to determine whether what they are doing is fair to all groups and take into account how their acts might inadvertently impact communities of color.

For example if the CDC said we will send vaccine to private practicing physicians first to administer to their patients. That sounds fair until you understand that minorities are much less likely to have a private physician. Looking for that kind of unintentional impact of decisions is what is meant by the lines you cited.

Additionally if a disease is hitting a particular community harder then resources to combat that disease should be directed in a greater amount to that community. Should sickle cell resources be allocated evenly across all racial groups? What about lead poisoning? What about hypertension? If a disease is more severe in one racial group should the CDC be certain that its policies promote justice by ensuring that plans don't disadvantage that group?

Lastly you cherry picked a part of sentences thus leaving a false impression that race or ethnicity was unfairly being used to make decisions. It is of course the exact opposite. For those that have read this far, go read the whole section HERE (https://www.cdc.gov/vaccines/hcp/acip-recs/vacc-specific/covid-19/evidence-table-phase-1b-1c.html) and go to the bottom where the CDC discusses the ethical issues that are considered in its recommendations.

Your clipped sentence "Although racial and ethnic minority groups are underrepresented among persons >65 years" is part of a longer discussion which you ignored thus misinforming the readers on this website. The longer discussion informs the reader that there are difficulties in getting this vaccine into underserved communities because of its extreme storage and handling requirements. Further it points out that in the over 65 age group while there are fewer POC, the disease is more severe in those POC over age 65.

The CDC is saying that even though there are fewer POC over 65 it is more important to have policies to reach them as they are more likely to get seriously ill or die from Covid. Identifying high risk groups and minimizing health inequalities are exactly what they are charged with doing.

Vaccination, however, will require focused outreach to persons >65 years who have no or limited access to health care or experience inequities in social determinants of health.

No matter how you read the CDC's recommendations, it is still true that Dr. Winston's post was completely wrong, without sources, and a fine example of how conspiracy theories spread on the internet.

[Joanne19335]

Chinas plan was to get old and sick to not be a burden on society. Covid will stop pensions, social security, and Medicare. China will run the world before 2030 and they are working their plan. Wait till you see Covid-23. Keep buying Chinese, fools.

Please stay on point and stop posting conspiracy theories.

[graciegirl]

It is part of the role of the ACIP and the CDC to be sure that medical care is not delivered first to white people because they are white people. If you are familiar with the Tuskegee experiment where the United States Government deliberately chose to not treat Black people for syphilis when a treatment was available just so they could watch and see how many died or were made blind, demented, deafened or otherwise harmed by the disease. The CDC was part of that shameful event which continued to not treat Black people for 40 years. This was not a one or two year study. Because of that racist act endorsed by the US Public Health service, the CDC, and the US government, the ACIP and the CDC now try to determine whether what they are doing is fair to all groups and take into account how their acts might inadvertently impact communities of color.

For example if the CDC said we will send vaccine to private practicing physicians first to administer to their patients. That sounds fair until you understand that minorities are much less likely to have a private physician. Looking for that kind of unintentional impact of decisions is what is meant by the lines you cited.

Additionally if a disease is hitting a particular community harder then resources to combat that disease should be directed in a greater amount to that community. Should sickle cell resources be allocated evenly across all racial groups? What about lead poisoning? What about hypertension? If a disease is more severe in one racial group should the CDC be certain that its policies promote justice by ensuring that plans don't disadvantage that group?

Lastly you cherry picked a part of sentences thus leaving a false impression that race or ethnicity was unfairly being used to make decisions. It is of course the exact opposite. For those that have read this far, go read the whole section HERE (https://www.cdc.gov/vaccines/hcp/acip-recs/vacc-specific/covid-19/evidence-table-phase-1b-1c.html) and go to the bottom where the CDC discusses the ethical issues that are considered in its recommendations.

Your clipped sentence "Although racial and ethnic minority groups are underrepresented among persons >65 years" is part of a longer discussion which you ignored thus misinforming the readers on this website. The longer discussion informs the reader that there are difficulties in getting this vaccine into underserved communities because of its extreme storage and handling requirements. Further it points out that in the over 65 age group while there are fewer POC, the disease is more severe in those POC over age 65.

The CDC is saying that even though there are fewer POC over 65 it is more important to have policies to reach them as they are more likely to get seriously ill or die from Covid. Identifying high risk groups and minimizing health inequalities are exactly what they are charged with doing.



No matter how you read the CDC's recommendations, it is still true that Dr. Winston's post was completely wrong, without sources, and a fine example of how conspiracy theories spread on the internet.

Dr. Winston Boogie? What post? Usually he is quite reasonable and does not buy into conspiracy theories. I will have to go and look. He is usually a dependable and reliable source of information.

[tvbound]

"No matter how you read the CDC's recommendations, it is still true that Dr. Winston's post was completely wrong, without sources, and a fine example of how conspiracy theories spread on the internet."


True! It also demonstrates how insidious, expansive and cloaked, institutional racism is - and how it is perpetuated.

[SugarBear]

Chinas plan was to get old and sick to not be a burden on society. Covid will stop pensions, social security, and Medicare. China will run the world before 2030 and they are working their plan. Wait till you see Covid-23. Keep buying Chinese, fools.

Lol

[graciegirl]

"No matter how you read the CDC's recommendations, it is still true that Dr. Winston's post was completely wrong, without sources, and a fine example of how conspiracy theories spread on the internet."


True! It also demonstrates how insidious, expansive and cloaked, institutional racism is - and how it is perpetuated.

I know that many of us are waiting for valid information as to when and where we will be able to receive the vaccine for Covid-19. Some of the first older residents in another county to get the shot were interviewed on Television and it was touching to hear them talk about it. They were patient and tried very hard to follow the CDC guidelines and to wear masks and keep social distancing and to try to avoid gatherings. Some were over 80 and of course they (we) are at the most risk. They were very emotional about their relief to be vaccinated and said it was not only for themselves but for their families who love them and realized that their risk of dying was greater because of their age.

I wish that we hadn't gone off in another direction in this thread. I am tired of being lectured about things that most of us know and are sensitive to. AND care about. Talking to most people I know about race is preaching to the choir. People do care and they are mindful.

[tvbound]

I know that many of us are waiting for valid information as to when and where we will be able to receive the vaccine for Covid-19. Some of the first older residents in another county to get the shot were interviewed on Television and it was touching to hear them talk about it. They were patient and tried very hard to follow the CDC guidelines and to wear masks and keep social distancing and to try to avoid gatherings. Some were over 80 and of course they (we) are at the most risk. They were very emotional about their relief to be vaccinated and said it was not only for themselves but for their families who love them and realized that their risk of dying was greater because of their age.

I wish that we hadn't gone off in another direction in this thread. I am tired of being lectured about things that most of us know and are sensitive to. AND care about. Talking to most people I know about race is preaching to the choir. People do care and they are mindful.

I saw one of those interviews, where the people being vaccinated mainly talked about how great it will be to see and visit their grandchildren again. Implying that they had the ability to stay at home, weren't forced to work in public and were in essence admitting, that they were basically tired of being inconvenienced and/or were bored. Those of us who have the ability and resources to continue to isolate and stay at home, getting in line ahead of even much younger people who have no choice but to continue to work and interact with the public through no real choice of their own - is IMHO simply selfishness from us 'older' (I'm one of those older, with comorbidities) people. I'll do my patriotic duty and just wait for those who actually need it the most, to get vaccinated first.

[jklfairwin]

Actually, Pfizer, who got the first approval, was not part of Operation Warp Speed.

[jklfairwin]

The time was not wasted. It was necessary to follow all procedures to ensure that the public would have faith in the vaccine since so much misinformation had been put out on the virus by the administration. The FDA approved it in record time.

[Bill14564]

...

Lastly you cherry picked a part of sentences thus leaving a false impression that race or ethnicity was unfairly being used to make decisions. It is of course the exact opposite. For those that have read this far, go read the whole section HERE (https://www.cdc.gov/vaccines/hcp/acip-recs/vacc-specific/covid-19/evidence-table-phase-1b-1c.html) and go to the bottom where the CDC discusses the ethical issues that are considered in its recommendations.

Your clipped sentence "Although racial and ethnic minority groups are underrepresented among persons >65 years" is part of a longer discussion which you ignored thus misinforming the readers on this website. The longer discussion informs the reader that there are difficulties in getting this vaccine into underserved communities because of its extreme storage and handling requirements. Further it points out that in the over 65 age group while there are fewer POC, the disease is more severe in those POC over age 65.

The CDC is saying that even though there are fewer POC over 65 it is more important to have policies to reach them as they are more likely to get seriously ill or die from Covid. Identifying high risk groups and minimizing health inequalities are exactly what they are charged with doing.

I did not ignore nor did I misinform. Clearly, I did not copy and paste the entire section which also includes this statement:
Adults >65 years of age are a heterogenous population; a strict age-based criterion could inadvertently increase disparities due to racial and social inequities, such as occupation, income, and access to health care.

So racial and ethnic considerations are important, strict age-based criterion should not be used, and essential workers should come before persons aged over 65 years.



No matter how you read the CDC's recommendations, it is still true that Dr. Winston's post was completely wrong, without sources, and a fine example of how conspiracy theories spread on the internet.

I read the same article; I cannot find it now but will update this post if/when I do.
Edit: This is the article I read. (https://www.washingtonpost.com/health/2020/12/18/covid-vaccine-racial-equity/) You might need a subscription to read it.

But regardless of the article, the recommendations do appear to move some seniors back in line behind essential workers in part due to some racial and ethnic minorities being over-represented in that group.

Not completely wrong, temporarily without a source, and not a conspiracy theory at all.

Edit for clarity: My opinion, not that it matters, is that the vaccine should be distributed to best solve the problem of COVID. It should not be used to reward those who have been serving on the front lines, it should not be used to protect someone's mother, and it should not be used to address equity issues of the past. If the problem is death then distribute it to the group most likely to die. If the problem is overcrowding of hospitals then distribute it to the group most likely to be hospitalized. If the problem is to minimize infections as a means to reduce both hospitalizations and deaths then distribute it to that group. Perhaps that is exactly what the ACIP recommendations are attempting to do.

[Bucco]

I know that many of us are waiting for valid information as to when and where we will be able to receive the vaccine for Covid-19. Some of the first older residents in another county to get the shot were interviewed on Television and it was touching to hear them talk about it. They were patient and tried very hard to follow the CDC guidelines and to wear masks and keep social distancing and to try to avoid gatherings. Some were over 80 and of course they (we) are at the most risk. They were very emotional about their relief to be vaccinated and said it was not only for themselves but for their families who love them and realized that their risk of dying was greater because of their age.

I wish that we hadn't gone off in another direction in this thread. I am tired of being lectured about things that most of us know and are sensitive to. AND care about. Talking to most people I know about race is preaching to the choir. People do care and they are mindful.

Did not need to go in "other direction ".

The source of the "steering of the thread, and to, as pretty much always go to race, was a comment made by a Doctor whose job is working on ethics. He made a simple comment that was blown out of proportion, both on "some" media sites, and on TOTV.

He corrected and explained his context the same day, and a number of us corrected the post on here that day.

Just a general question on Distribution.....were we not told emphatically by the government that military would be used to distribute, and handle logistics. I can recall at least three times hearing that stated.

Are they involved in some way ?

[Chi-Town]

From Sumter County

COVID-19 Vaccination | Florida Department of Health in Sumter (http://sumter.floridahealth.gov/newsroom/2020/12/COVID-19Vaccination.html)

[waltwl]

Well you know who got theirs first. The ones who said they would never take it.

[perrjojo]

Our friends in Lake County got theirs yesterday. 12/30

[Byte1]

Actually, Pfizer, who got the first approval, was not part of Operation Warp Speed.

Actually, Pfizer was part of warp speed. Go to the HHS website where it gives you a time line and some facts.

[Byte1]

Well you know who got theirs first. The ones who said they would never take it.

You should be glad. Less chances of YOU being infected by them.

[Bogie Shooter]

COVID-19 Vaccination | Florida Department of Health in Sumter (http://sumter.floridahealth.gov/newsroom/2020/12/COVID-19Vaccination.html)

More Covid-19 news updates

Here is a link to the Lake County press release:
DOH-LAKE VACCINE SITES UPDATE | Florida Department of Health in Lake (http://lake.floridahealth.gov/newsroom/2020/12/DOH-LAKEVACCINESITESUPDATE.html)

Here is a link to the Marion County press release:
Marion County residents ages 65 and older now able to sign up for COVID-19 vaccination | Florida Department of Health in Marion (http://marion.floridahealth.gov/newsroom/2020/12/12_28.html)

Even more interesting is the 12/29/2020 press release from Gov. Desantis and Hospital CEOs announcing the overall State distribution plan:
Governor Ron DeSantis, Hospital CEOs Announce Distribution Plan for Weekly COVID-19 Vaccine Allocation and Recognize Statewide Progress on Vaccine Distribution | Florida Department of Health (http://www.floridahealth.gov/newsroom/2020/12/122920-2046-covid-vac.pr.html)

Growing attention on this ...
https://www.**************.com/2020/12/29/desperate-villagers-angry-about-lack-of-information-about-covid-19-vaccine/ (the other news site)

Village Health Chief Medical Officer addresses Covid-19 in The Villages:
https://www.thevillagesdailysun.com/news/villages/experts-be-diligent-as-covid-cases-surge/article_c377da68-4996-11eb-b8aa-7bab0c226d9a.html

Vaccine distribution status among the various states:
https://www.washingtonpost.com/graphics/2020/health/covid-vaccine-states-distribution-doses/

[Blackmagic]

It seems we can be used by politicians to make announcements and get publicity for themselves, but when it counts, aka COVID vaccine for Sumter County, we're just "chopped liver". Where's our vaccine?

The Sumter County Board of Commissioners released the following statement on COVID-19 vaccination:

"The Sumter County Health Department has not yet established a list, line, or registry for an individual to sign up to receive the vaccine as the State of Florida has not defined the schedule and volume of distribution to Sumter County at this time.

Please watch the Sumter County Health Department website and press releases for future announcements."
Anytime the government is involved expect mediocrity and poor communication. What happened to CVS and Walgreens delivery ?

[SFSkol]

Unfortunately "Operation Warp Speed" has turned into "Impulse Power."

[Aloha1]

weekCOVID-19 Vaccination | Florida Department of Health in Sumter (http://sumter.floridahealth.gov/newsroom/2020/12/COVID-19Vaccination.html)

More Covid-19 news updates

Here is a link to the Lake County press release:
DOH-LAKE VACCINE SITES UPDATE | Florida Department of Health in Lake (http://lake.floridahealth.gov/newsroom/2020/12/DOH-LAKEVACCINESITESUPDATE.html)

Here is a link to the Marion County press release:
Marion County residents ages 65 and older now able to sign up for COVID-19 vaccination | Florida Department of Health in Marion (http://marion.floridahealth.gov/newsroom/2020/12/12_28.html)

Even more interesting is the 12/29/2020 press release from Gov. Desantis and Hospital CEOs announcing the overall State distribution plan:
Governor Ron DeSantis, Hospital CEOs Announce Distribution Plan for Weekly COVID-19 Vaccine Allocation and Recognize Statewide Progress on Vaccine Distribution | Florida Department of Health (http://www.floridahealth.gov/newsroom/2020/12/122920-2046-covid-vac.pr.html)

Growing attention on this ...
https://www.**************.com/2020/12/29/desperate-villagers-angry-about-lack-of-information-about-covid-19-vaccine/ (the other news site)

Village Health Chief Medical Officer addresses Covid-19 in The Villages:
https://www.thevillagesdailysun.com/news/villages/experts-be-diligent-as-covid-cases-surge/article_c377da68-4996-11eb-b8aa-7bab0c226d9a.html

Vaccine distribution status among the various states:
https://www.washingtonpost.com/graphics/2020/health/covid-vaccine-states-distribution-doses/

Your post is already out of date. Lake County will NOT have walks ins until sometime next week pending a delivery of more vaccine. Today through 1/2 only appointments are being honored and you can no longer get one. IF the shipment arrives by Saturday, then vaccine sites will accept walk ins starting 1/4. If not, nobody knows when they will restart.

[Max0431Zoe]

I hope your not 75 or over and have several other medical reasons for needing the vaccine. Yes we are sitting at home but not because we are bored and feel inconvenienced but because as a high risk individual, without the vaccine, we could be gone, once infected, in a couple of weeks or less. Hardly just an inconvenience.

[Bogie Shooter]

week

Your post is already out of date. Lake County will NOT have walks ins until sometime next week pending a delivery of more vaccine. Today through 1/2 only appointments are being honored and you can no longer get one. IF the shipment arrives by Saturday, then vaccine sites will accept walk ins starting 1/4. If not, nobody knows when they will restart.

And tomorrow yours will be too.

[Bonnevie]

Actually, Pfizer was part of warp speed. Go to the HHS website where it gives you a time line and some facts.

Pfizer did not take money for development of the vaccine. but is a part of warp speed as a supplier of doses

[Bonnevie]

I know many of us are eager to get the vaccine, it's not always best to be the first of a new program. there have been some errors....one person got 5 times the dose because the nurse thought the whole Pfizer vial was one dose. another instance several people got the antibody treatment given to them instead of the vaccine. the antibody treatment is supposed to be diluted and given as an infusion over time, not IM. there's the bizarre case of someone deliberately leaving out vaccines so they are unusable....what if someone inadvertently put them out to be used? we are far better off being a bit more patient until there is an ample supply to insure we get both doses and a streamlined procedure for administration.

[Debbraham]

A friend who lives in Baldwin Park near Orlando registered last Monday for vaccine and she got it today and is scheduled for second shot in Jan! Sat in the car and received it! What happened to nursing homes and assisted living areas being first! She said her friends registered and are getting shots next week! Somethings wrong with this picture!

[golfing eagles]

Unfortunately "Operation Warp Speed" has turned into "Impulse Power."

Auxilliary power is out and they're down to the batteries. Scotty is working on it:1rotfl::1rotfl:

[SFSkol]

Auxilliary power is out and they're down to the batteries. Scotty is working on it:1rotfl::1rotfl:

McCoy, "Damnit Jim, I'm a doctor not a vaccine supply chain coordinator."

[DAVES]

I suspect the state does not yet have clear idea of how many doses are coming and is therefore reluctant to put a firm schedule in place. We may get impatient but let's just be remember that the healthcare folks are just as anxious as we are to roll out as many vaccinations as we are. And the state officials know we are watching them. So let's not get too bent out of shape. After all, we were told by the doomsayers months ago that there was no way we could develop a vaccine by end of year. But the President's Operation Warp Speed did just that. Kudos to all involved and the shots are coming....

Some people just seem to need to complain. Anything productive about it? NOPE.

[PugMom]

this comment may be removed, but it's worth it for me to support dr winston's comment re: tuskeegee exp. it was most certainly true, & will defend his right to post. over & out:bigbow:

[TJLAMPHERE]

The lithiam crystals Captain....they won't hold out much longer....

[Regor]

If and that's a big IF, they were able to administer one million shots per day, with 250+ million people eligible to get the shot, it would take almost a year for everyone just to get their 1st shot.

[New Englander]

The Captain will initiate warp speed.

[Luisa]

This criticism might be a bit harsh. From the CDC link that was provided it is possible to find the ACIP recommendations and in particular the evidence table for allocations where the following two statements can be found.

In the Ethics section for essential workers:
Mitigate health inequities: COVID-19 vaccination helps to address the disproportionate burden of COVID-19 among some racial and ethnic minorities who are overrepresented in subsets of essential workers.

In the Ethics section for persons over 65 years:
Mitigate health inequities: Although racial and ethnic minority groups are underrepresented among persons >65 years,

While the ACIP certainly didn't say "old people are too white," the racial makeup of the different groups clearly was part of the consideration.

Systemic racism does exist, just not where the media would like you to think.

[Bucco]

My words exactly.

Fifty different states, with varying budgets, distributing an amount of doses that has a quantity that has shrunk terribly since the fall, with fifty different plans sounds like a recipe for disaster.

[coffeebean]

Some people just seem to need to complain. Anything productive about it? NOPE.

Complain? Where was this poster complaining? Discussing is more like it, but not complaining. Vaccine distribution is a huge topic to discuss so I welcome the discussion.

[coffeebean]

Why are poc more likely to get COVID or more serious cases? How about taking more personal responsibility for social distancing, life style, eating habits.

I believe it all comes down to the quality and frequency of health care. Think about it.

[billethkid]

Complain? Where was this poster complaining? Discussing is more like it, but not complaining. Vaccine distribution is a huge topic to discuss so I welcome the discussion.

For many, ANY disagreeing or offering a differing opinion or not going along with the agenda are all components warranting the label of complaining.

[Dana1963]

OK, I wasn't sure about the time between doses but I was evidently wrong.

I just read an interesting article. The Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices has recommended that senior citizens be moved toward the back of the line because racial and ethnic minorities are under-represented in this group. In other words, seniors are too white.

I wonder if this is why places like Orlando are getting the virus first.
We have a better chance of gaining herd immunity in Florida than receiving a vaccination. Seems like that was the plan all along.

[Pairadocs]

OK, I wasn't sure about the time between doses but I was evidently wrong.

I just read an interesting article. The Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices has recommended that senior citizens be moved toward the back of the line because racial and ethnic minorities are under-represented in this group. In other words, seniors are too white.

I wonder if this is why places like Orlando are getting the virus first.

I've heard that on two different cable channels now (surprised) in addition to FOX of course, and read two print articles stating the same. One article wisely brought out that the taboos surrounding the virus (ties to weight, ethnic characteristics, etc., while politically correct, are actually adding to the sickness and death rates by arbitrarily deciding which "per-existing" can be discussed publicly and which can not (for fear of outrage and economic backlash, or "cancelling") One puzzling example they gave was some conditions like heart disease and diabetes can be discussed/advertised, while other proven risk ties such as over weight and ethnic composition, and others are not to be mentioned (but are certainly available to those few who care to spend the time finding medical journal research and stats not on the evening news) due to their "sensitive" nature. It's an interesting observation of our culture, that we are selective about which and how much information we disburse to the masses, and the ethical (?) base we use to make decisions along those lines. Just an interesting observation on our culture.

[Bucco]

We have a better chance of gaining herd immunity in Florida than receiving a vaccination. Seems like that was the plan all along.

I do not believe there was a plan, except to dump it all in the hands of individual states, let them make rules and administer it all logistically.

That does not sound like a "plan" to me, but again....a recipe to insure that backbiting, racial unrest, etc., exceeds the clamor for a plan to administer the largest vaccine program as of yet.

Add to that plan that we knew months ago what was going to happen and when....yet....the money to help was just signed a few days ago.

[claricecolin]

Why are poc more likely to get COVID or more serious cases? How about taking more personal responsibility for social distancing, life style, eating habits.

It is more than that. POC are more likely to live in multi generational households, work in more frontline positions. Meaning jobs where you cannot work from home leading to more exposure even if you are doing everything else correctly.

[Bucco]

It is more than that. POC are more likely to live in multi generational households, work in more frontline positions. Meaning jobs where you cannot work from home leading to more exposure even if you are doing everything else correctly.

I am afraid that your true and logical (and oft stated) fact will fall on deaf ears.

[tvbound]

It is more than that. POC are more likely to live in multi generational households, work in more frontline positions. Meaning jobs where you cannot work from home leading to more exposure even if you are doing everything else correctly.

None of those common sense and truthful explanations, will mean anything to those who are predisposed to prejudice. I applaud you for trying though.

[John41]

I do not believe there was a plan, except to dump it all in the hands of individual states, let them make rules and administer it all logistically.

That does not sound like a "plan" to me, but again....a recipe to insure that backbiting, racial unrest, etc., exceeds the clamor for a plan to administer the largest vaccine program as of yet.

Add to that plan that we knew months ago what was going to happen and when....yet....the money to help was just signed a few days ago.

The states insisted on being in charge and Gov Cumo had a hissy fit when it was suggested the Feds might do the planning.

[billethkid]

Fear not.

All will be well.....soon.

[Bjeanj]

My sister sent me this article. I guess DeSantis is getting wide attention for his handling of the vaccine distribution. I guess you’ll have to do a search for “the villages” on the site due to the headline.

https://www.thedailybeast.com

[Aloha1]

And tomorrow yours will be too.

Today is 1/2 and my post is still accurate.

[Bonnevie]

The states insisted on being in charge and Gov Cumo had a hissy fit when it was suggested the Feds might do the planning.

could you provide your source for this? I was unable to find it anywhere. Some of the states, such as NY, were going to review the safety data independently of the FDA. Given that the FDA gave authorization for unproven medications such as hydroxychloroquine, that was being prudent.

[biker1]

In reality, the FDA revoked the EUA for hydroxychloroquine back in the summer when a clinical trial was unavailable. It is completely understandable why it was initially being used "off label". There were a couple of small studies that showed some success and the drug has been in use for a considerable amount of time as a treatment for malaria. Cuomo saying that NY had to review the data on the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine was absurd, to say the least. Political nonsense.

could you provide your source for this? I was unable to find it anywhere. Some of the states, such as NY, were going to review the safety data independently of the FDA. Given that the FDA gave authorization for unproven medications such as hydroxychloroquine, that was being prudent.

[Bucco]

The states insisted on being in charge and Gov Cumo had a hissy fit when it was suggested the Feds might do the planning.

Actually, what you are posting is not true.

Gov Cuomo was reluctant to trust the vaccine itself based on the track record, but the distribution which is the subject of this thread was never anything but given to the states.

In fact, most time the state and local government do step up and handle, but this is, or could be, the largest vaccine attempt ever. They did not, nor are they getting any blue print to follow from federal, along with no money until about a week ago.

Asking quite a bit of local and state governments that are already pushed to the brink, simply trying to save live of those already infected.

In order to fulfill what everyone has a goal, we need something of push with the process of delivering the vaccine and administering it.

Right now, there is no place where the "buck" stops, so we appear to be floating

[Bogie Shooter]

When reading these posts, why do I feel I have heard all this before? Some folks just continue to sing from their own hymn book.......over and over again..

[Bucco]

When reading these posts, why do I feel I have heard all this before? Some folks just continue to sing from their own hymn book.......over and over again..

TRUE, and i feel reluctant to even post, but some just continue to spread lies and untruths, based on what I do not know nor do I understand why.

I find myself only posting to correct blatant lies being told because that is not fair to the Talk of The Villages forum, its readers and posters.

[John41]

could you provide your source for this? I was unable to find it anywhere. Some of the states, such as NY, were going to review the safety data independently of the FDA. Given that the FDA gave authorization for unproven medications such as hydroxychloroquine, that was being prudent.

NY is where covid 19 infected patients were sent to nursing homes and hundreds of nursing home residents died. There was a CNN reporter who had an emotional story on how she held Gov Cumo responsible for a relatives death. So you think the NY health deoartment is competent to evaluate anything.

[Bucco]

NY is where covid 19 infected patients were sent to nursing homes and hundreds of nursing home residents died. There was a CNN reporter who had an emotional story on how she held Gov Cumo responsible for a relatives death. So you think the NY health deoartment is competent to evaluate anything.

The thread is about the distribution and administering of the vaccine...

.....States did not ask to be "in charge". It is a role that is normally theirs, for sure, but to say "The states insisted on being in charge" is just not true at all.

.....Federal government decided to make it the responsibility of the states instead of simply taking charge.

[Yorkshire]

I think the original development was done by a German company Biontech

[Advogado]

A partial answer to the question, "Where is our vaccine?" is: At least some of it is in the arms of the Developer's cronies.

Allowing those cronies to cut in line ahead of health-care workers and nursing-home patients was reprehensible, and it may result in the death of some of the high-risk individuals whose doses were, in effect, stolen.

[John41]

The thread is about the distribution and administering of the vaccine...

.....States did not ask to be "in charge". It is a role that is normally theirs, for sure, but to say "The states insisted on being in charge" is just not true at all.

.....Federal government decided to make it the responsibility of the states instead of simply taking charge.

Here is the federal governments plan to help the states distribute the vaccine which many in the media said was impossible to develop in a year. So it is a falsehood to say the federal government dumped it on the states.
______________________________

tember 18, 2020 -- The federal government has released information about how it plans to distribute a COVID-19 vaccine once it’s approved by the FDA.

During a Wednesday news briefing, federal officials said they hope to make the vaccine free of charge and available within 24 hours of approval. Health care workers and other essential workers will probably be the first to get the vaccine, which will initially be released in small quantities.

But they admitted many questions remain about the vaccine -- such as which ones will be approved.

"We're dealing in a world of great uncertainty," Paul Mango, deputy chief of staff for policy at the Department of Health Human Services, said, according to CNN. "We don't know the timing of when we'll have a vaccine. We don't know the quantities. We don't know the efficacy of those vaccines."

The administration has published two documents about vaccine distribution.

Health and Human Services posted an 11-page distribution strategy titled "From the Factory to the Frontlines: The Operation Warp Speed Strategy for Distributing a COVID-19 Vaccine."

The CDC posted the 57-page "COVID-19 Vaccination Program Interim Playbook for Jurisdiction Operations."

[Love2Swim]

The federal government had a plan, wherein they saw their role as getting the vaccine to the states, then letting the states get the vaccine to the people. What needed to happen was proper funding to the states to accomplish distribution of the vaccine. States don't have the resources or manpower to handle such a massive undertaking. And this is just another failure of the federal government that we have seen repeatedly for the last year, like lack of guidance and $$ for Covid testing, and the lack of personal and protective equipment for medical personnel. The feds should be working hand in hand with the states, to figure out what they need. Help out the overworked state Health Departments with logistics, with personnel from FEMA or the National Guard if needed. In January, there will be a change in federal leadership, and there has been action pledged. It can't come soon enough. Officials had promised 20 million vaccinated by the end of the year, yet less than 3 million have been vaccinated.

[Joe V.]

the federal government had a plan, wherein they saw their role as getting the vaccine to the states, then letting the states get the vaccine to the people. What needed to happen was proper funding to the states to accomplish distribution of the vaccine. States don't have the resources or manpower to handle such a massive undertaking. And this is just another failure of the federal government that we have seen repeatedly for the last year, like lack of guidance and $$ for covid testing, and the lack of personal and protective equipment for medical personnel. The feds should be working hand in hand with the states, to figure out what they need. Help out the overworked state health departments with logistics, with personnel from fema or the national guard if needed. In january, there will be a change in federal leadership, and there has been action pledged. It can't come soon enough. Officials had promised 20 million vaccinated by the end of the year, yet less than 3 million have been vaccinated.

xxx

[Bucco]

Here is the federal governments plan to help the states distribute the vaccine which many in the media said was impossible to develop in a year. So it is a falsehood to say the federal government dumped it on the states.
______________________________

tember 18, 2020 -- The federal government has released information about how it plans to distribute a COVID-19 vaccine once it’s approved by the FDA.

During a Wednesday news briefing, federal officials said they hope to make the vaccine free of charge and available within 24 hours of approval. Health care workers and other essential workers will probably be the first to get the vaccine, which will initially be released in small quantities.

But they admitted many questions remain about the vaccine -- such as which ones will be approved.

"We're dealing in a world of great uncertainty," Paul Mango, deputy chief of staff for policy at the Department of Health Human Services, said, according to CNN. "We don't know the timing of when we'll have a vaccine. We don't know the quantities. We don't know the efficacy of those vaccines."

The administration has published two documents about vaccine distribution.

Health and Human Services posted an 11-page distribution strategy titled "From the Factory to the Frontlines: The Operation Warp Speed Strategy for Distributing a COVID-19 Vaccine."

The CDC posted the 57-page "COVID-19 Vaccination Program Interim Playbook for Jurisdiction Operations."

Look...do not want to belabor the point.

My posts to you have been to correct your statements relative to all 50 states getting together and, as you said "insisting they be in charge". That did not happen, andvfrom memory, I recall some calls to use some provisions to enhance distribution.

They also, at least to my knowledge are not, as promised a number of times, using our military in the distribution.

Doesn't matter as long as it gets into the arms of our citizenry.

Keep in mind, resources are thin in local government right now, and the bill to help financially was not even approved a week ago.

Let's hope someone, somehow finds a way to pick up the pace

[Love2Swim]

The federal government had a plan, wherein they saw their role as getting the vaccine to the states, then letting the states get the vaccine to the people. What needed to happen was proper funding to the states to accomplish distribution of the vaccine. States don't have the resources or manpower to handle such a massive undertaking. And this is just another failure of the federal government that we have seen repeatedly for the last year, like lack of guidance and $$ for Covid testing, and the lack of personal and protective equipment for medical personnel. The feds should be working hand in hand with the states, to figure out what they need. Help out the overworked state Health Departments with logistics, with personnel from FEMA or the National Guard if needed. In January, there will be a change in federal leadership, and there has been action pledged. It can't come soon enough. Officials had promised 20 million vaccinated by the end of the year, yet less than 3 million have been vaccinated.

And if that isn't bad enough, we have 70 and 80 year olds waiting in line for hours to get a vaccine, on a first come first served basis. That is just plain stupid.

[Dr Winston O Boogie jr]

The vaccine was released on Dec 18 and this original post was made on Dec 30.

Did anyone really expect 330 million doses to be distributed in 12 days?

[Bill14564]

The vaccine was released on Dec 18 and this original post was made on Dec 30.

Did anyone really expect 330 million doses to be distributed in 12 days?

No, not 330 million. But we did hope for something closer to the 20 million number.

[Bucco]

No, not 330 million. But we did hope for something closer to the 20 million number.

Actually, and who knows the accurate number....only a little over 12 million have even been delivered.

[C. C. Rider]

First, I have no idea who is to blame for not having more vaccine available sooner, so I'm not going to address that issue. I will simply offer an opinion on who I think should be allowed to get the vaccine first.

I realize that there are many factors that can make one person more vulnerable to the Coronavirus than another person, but it would be an impossible task to try to fairly rank all of the various factors that would make one person more vulnerable than another person.

For example, how would you decide whether heart problems, cancer, diabetes, obesity, race, age, kidney problems, or any of dozens of others factors would move a person to the front of the line? It would be impossible to rank all those factors and a nightmare to try to administer and control based on all these factors... not to mention that many people would get fake doctor's orders for some condition to try to get to the front of the line.

So, I think that a simple approach is the best and undoubtedly the easiest to implement and control... and that would be to base it on AGE only. They could do this by announcing that on the date of their first shipment, they would give the vaccine ONLY to people over the age of 85. If, after a couple of days the lines start to dwindle for people over the age of 85, then (assuming they still have vaccine available) lower the age to 82.

Then, after a few more days when the lines start to dwindle for those 82 and over, they could lower the age requirement to 80. Then just keep lowering the age every few days (or weeks) until everyone who wants a vaccine has received it. It would be the easiest way of determining who is eligible because all the patient would have to do is produce identification such as a valid Driver's License or something similar to confirm their age. No one would have a valid claim of being discriminated against because either you are old enough to qualify or you're not. How much money you have or who you know or what "condition" you claim to have would not enter into the picture. Either produce valid evidence of your qualifying age or Hit The Road Jack. No other excuse or alibi is going to move you to the front of the line.

[Bonnevie]

The vaccine was released on Dec 18 and this original post was made on Dec 30.

Did anyone really expect 330 million doses to be distributed in 12 days?

no, of course not. but what I think would help is some semblance of a plan. this "roll out" looks like there is no thought behind it. it's about as effective as throwing paper towels at a crowd of people....

[biker1]

Since you aren't involved in the distribution plan you really don't know what you are talking about. Logistics is complicated. It is often those who know the least who are the most critical.

no, of course not. but what I think would help is some semblance of a plan. this "roll out" looks like there is no thought behind it. it's about as effective as throwing paper towels at a crowd of people....

[Lottoguy]

It's the older folks who are overloading the hospitals. This is what their trying to prevent.

[Topspinmo]

Just cause you get vaccine don’t mean you are automatically revert back to normal? There is too much unknown about virus and the vaccine.

Even After Getting Vaccinated, You Could Still Infect Others | FiveThirtyEight (https://fivethirtyeight.com/features/once-you-get-the-covid-19-vaccine-can-you-still-infect-others/)

[stanley]

Just cause you get vaccine don’t mean you are automatically revert back to normal? There is too much unknown about virus and the vaccine.

Even After Getting Vaccinated, You Could Still Infect Others | FiveThirtyEight (https://fivethirtyeight.com/features/once-you-get-the-covid-19-vaccine-can-you-still-infect-others/)


Rebukes in 4......3.....2....1...

[Carla B]

First, I have no idea who is to blame for not having more vaccine available sooner, so I'm not going to address that issue. I will simply offer an opinion on who I think should be allowed to get the vaccine first.

I realize that there are many factors that can make one person more vulnerable to the Coronavirus than another person, but it would be an impossible task to try to fairly rank all of the various factors that would make one person more vulnerable than another person.

For example, how would you decide whether heart problems, cancer, diabetes, obesity, race, age, kidney problems, or any of dozens of others factors would move a person to the front of the line? It would be impossible to rank all those factors and a nightmare to try to administer and control based on all these factors... not to mention that many people would get fake doctor's orders for some condition to try to get to the front of the line.



So, I think that a simple approach is the best and undoubtedly the easiest to implement and control... and that would be to base it on AGE only. They could do this by announcing that on the date of their first shipment, they would give the vaccine ONLY to people over the age of 85. If, after a couple of days the lines start to dwindle for people over the age of 85, then (assuming they still have vaccine available) lower the age to 82.

Then, after a few more days when the lines start to dwindle for those 82 and over, they could lower the age requirement to 80. Then just keep lowering the age every few days (or weeks) until everyone who wants a vaccine has received it. It would be the easiest way of determining who is eligible because all the patient would have to do is produce identification such as a valid Driver's License or something similar to confirm their age. No one would have a valid claim of being discriminated against because either you are old enough to qualify or you're not. How much money you have or who you know or what "condition" you claim to have would not enter into the picture. Either produce valid evidence of your qualifying age or Hit The Road Jack. No other excuse or alibi is going to move you to the front of the line.

I think your idea has a lot of merit. How does Sumter County, with a small initial supply of 2500 doses, hope to avoid chaos by merely providing a phone number to call. It will be interesting to see how that goes this coming week.

[John41]

Actually, and who knows the accurate number....only a little over 12 million have even been delivered.

This is a vaccine the media and their "experts" said would be a miracle to get by the end of 2020. Here is the miracle and you are still providing false information to TOTV. FYI the new surgeon general who will be in charge
next year already said he cannot meet the Operation Warp Speed vaccine distribution schedule. Failure before even trying. I would give you the quote but you choose to ignore facts. Here is what one state had to say about federal pandemic help.
-------------------------------
New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo is never shy to point out that President Donald Trump attacks him more than any other governor in America.

But on Monday, Cuomo took to an unlikely venue -- The Howard Stern Show -- to offer genuine praise for the president's response to the coronavirus in his home state.

"He has delivered for New York. He has," Cuomo said of Trump, in response to a question from Stern about whether the president has really done anything of consequence to help.

"By and large it has worked," Cuomo said of the relationship.

[John41]

Since you aren't involved in the distribution plan you really don't know what you are talking about. Logistics is complicated. It is often those who know the least who are the most critical.

Absolutely correct. Like every big venture there are bugs that need to be worked out. New computer systems, automobiles all have some initial issues. The malcontents who think vaccine distribution will get better this year should realize the new surgeon general already said he cannot meet the Operation Warp Speed vaccine distribution schedule. He admits failure without even trying.

[John41]

The federal government had a plan, wherein they saw their role as getting the vaccine to the states, then letting the states get the vaccine to the people. What needed to happen was proper funding to the states to accomplish distribution of the vaccine. States don't have the resources or manpower to handle such a massive undertaking. And this is just another failure of the federal government that we have seen repeatedly for the last year, like lack of guidance and $$ for Covid testing, and the lack of personal and protective equipment for medical personnel. The feds should be working hand in hand with the states, to figure out what they need. Help out the overworked state Health Departments with logistics, with personnel from FEMA or the National Guard if needed. In January, there will be a change in federal leadership, and there has been action pledged. It can't come soon enough. Officials had promised 20 million vaccinated by the end of the year, yet less than 3 million have been vaccinated.

Dont get your hopes up too high. The new surgeon general already admits he cant meet the Operation Warp Speed vaccine distribution schedule. He admits failure before even trying.

Here is what one state had to say about federal cooperation on the pandemic
----------------'------'---
New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo is never shy to point out that President Donald Trump attacks him more than any other governor in America.

But on Monday, Cuomo took to an unlikely venue -- The Howard Stern Show -- to offer genuine praise for the president's response to the coronavirus in his home state.

"He has delivered for New York. He has," Cuomo said of Trump, in response to a question from Stern about whether the president has really done anything of consequence to help.

"By and large it has worked," Cuomo said of the relationship.

[John41]

Look...do not want to belabor the point.

My posts to you have been to correct your statements relative to all 50 states getting together and, as you said "insisting they be in charge". That did not happen, andvfrom memory, I recall some calls to use some provisions to enhance distribution.

They also, at least to my knowledge are not, as promised a number of times, using our military in the distribution.

Doesn't matter as long as it gets into the arms of our citizenry.

Keep in mind, resources are thin in local government right now, and the bill to help financially was not even approved a week ago.

Let's hope someone, somehow finds a way to pick up the pace

When shown facts that you are wrong you do not want to belabor the point. You said the government had no distribution plan and I showed you that plan.

[Topspinmo]

Rebukes in 4......3.....2....1...


Well doctor hawker proctor, do tell and reference the good news? :popcorn:

[Gigi3000]

I suspect the state does not yet have clear idea of how many doses are coming and is therefore reluctant to put a firm schedule in place. We may get impatient but let's just be remember that the healthcare folks are just as anxious as we are to roll out as many vaccinations as we are. And the state officials know we are watching them. So let's not get too bent out of shape. After all, we were told by the doomsayers months ago that there was no way we could develop a vaccine by end of year. But the President's Operation Warp Speed did just that. Kudos to all involved and the shots are coming....

Meanwhile, wear your mask.

[stanley]

Well doctor hawker proctor, do tell and reference the good news? :popcorn:

I don't understand... and I think you misunderstood. I was expecting some rebuke of the facts you presented in this link;

Even After Getting Vaccinated, You Could Still Infect Others | FiveThirtyEight (https://fivethirtyeight.com/features/once-you-get-the-covid-19-vaccine-can-you-still-infect-others/)

Seems loads of people here think the vaccine is the end all..it's not.

And I will add this;

COVID-19 Vaccine Talking Points from Weston A. Price Foundation - (https://citizens.org/covid-vaccine-talking-points/?eType=EmailBlastContent&eId=47340d3c-02cb-4118-86cd-09cde7ecee0f)

[chet2020]

This is a vaccine the media and their "experts" said would be a miracle to get by the end of 2020. Here is the miracle and you are still providing false information to TOTV. FYI the new surgeon general who will be in charge
next year already said he cannot meet the Operation Warp Speed vaccine distribution schedule. Failure before even trying. I would give you the quote but you choose to ignore facts. Here is what one state had to say about federal pandemic help.
-------------------------------


We currently have no problem with vaccine distribution. We have a problem with getting needles in arms. Regardless, the current Surgeon General is not in charge of either component, and the new Surgeon General won't be either. The new Surgeon General was asked his opinion on how fast vaccinations would happen, and he estimated most Americans would be vaccinated by Summer 2021. If the new guys pull this off given the botched roll-out, it will hardly be "failure before trying."

[EdFNJ]

State facts , it's two weeks between shots as suggested . Please, If you "state" them make sure they are in the right "state". :ohdear:

For the Moderna vaccines, the two doses are given 4 weeks apart. For Pfizer's vaccine, the two doses are given 3 weeks apart.

COVID-19 Vaccines 101: FAQ (https://www.webmd.com/vaccines/covid-19-vaccine/news/20201216/covid-19-vaccines-101-faq)

[BayLady57]

I realize that there are many factors that can make one person more vulnerable to the Coronavirus than another person, but it would be an impossible task to try to fairly rank all of the various factors that would make one person more vulnerable than another person.

Actually there is such a tool available which is used by the VA. This tool called the Care Assessment Needs or CAN tool that was established in 2013 when the PACT model of care was being rolled out with the goal to better manage chronic diseases and provide earlier intervention to reduce rehospitalizations. This tool compiles multifaceted patient data which generates a score that identify patients who statistically are at the highest risk for hospitalization and mortality. So for example, an 85 year old with few if any chronic diseases, minimal if any hospitalizations, and lives in a single family dwelling will generate a lower CAN score than a 65 year old who lives in a communal living environment such as a nursing home and has multiple chronic diseases that resulted in frequent hospitalizations. Being a VA primary care R.N. I use the CAN tool daily to identify patients that I need to outreach frequently to assess for evolving status changes so that early interventions can be implemented to avoid further status decline.

Not sure if the VA will be using the entire CAN score to determine which patients will be 1st offered Covid vaccines. But I am pretty certain that those Vets residing in communal living situations such as nursing homes and Vets living in group homes and shelters regardless of age and health statue will be offered 1st and encouraged to receive Covid vaccines because due to their communal living situations they are at a very high risk for Covid contraction and spreading it to others they live with communally.

[Dr Winston O Boogie jr]

The vaccine was approved on Dec 18. Did anyone expect the entire country to be vaccinated in 16 days?

I don't know how many doses they can produce in a day but it's going to take a while to produce 330 million. Then they have to produce another 330 million. Then there is the issue with this product having to be stored at -95 degrees. Transportation and distribution are going to take a while.

We're only 16 days out people.

[Professor]

Anyone have any luck getting a vaccination scheduled in Sumter county today?

[Bill14564]

The vaccine was approved on Dec 18. Did anyone expect the entire country to be vaccinated in 16 days?

I don't know how many doses they can produce in a day but it's going to take a while to produce 330 million. Then they have to produce another 330 million. Then there is the issue with this product having to be stored at -95 degrees. Transportation and distribution are going to take a while.

We're only 16 days out people.

I replied to something similar a day or so ago, but here goes again:

- There were going to be 100M doses available in December
- Or maybe only 50M due to production problems
- But only 25M be administered with the other half held for the 2nd dose
- But they were only able to ship about 20M
- Or maybe they only shipped 12M
- And the best information we have heard is about 2.1M doses went into arms.

So no, 330M in 14 days was always unachievable and never proposed or expected but we were promised something significantly more than 2.1M actually given.

[Dana1963]

It seems we can be used by politicians to make announcements and get publicity for themselves, but when it counts, aka COVID vaccine for Sumter County, we're just "chopped liver". Where's our vaccine?

The Sumter County Board of Commissioners released the following statement on COVID-19 vaccination:

"The Sumter County Health Department has not yet established a list, line, or registry for an individual to sign up to receive the vaccine as the State of Florida has not defined the schedule and volume of distribution to Sumter County at this time.

Please watch the Sumter County Health Department website and press releases for future announcements."
The Administration put Vaccinations off to the states some Governors put it off to the counties. There are very few doses for mass inoculations. Operation Warp Speed was a catchy name for development but it seems we are at Operation Snail Pace now.

[Bucco]

Dont get your hopes up too high. The new surgeon general already admits he cant meet the Operation Warp Speed vaccine distribution schedule. He admits failure before even trying.

Here is what one state had to say about federal cooperation on the pandemic
----------------'------'---
New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo is never shy to point out that President Donald Trump attacks him more than any other governor in America.

But on Monday, Cuomo took to an unlikely venue -- The Howard Stern Show -- to offer genuine praise for the president's response to the coronavirus in his home state.

"He has delivered for New York. He has," Cuomo said of Trump, in response to a question from Stern about whether the president has really done anything of consequence to help.

"By and large it has worked," Cuomo said of the relationship.

Just for context.....Cuomo comments were made in APRIL

[Dr Winston O Boogie jr]

I replied to something similar a day or so ago, but here goes again:

- There were going to be 100M doses available in December
- Or maybe only 50M due to production problems
- But only 25M be administered with the other half held for the 2nd dose
- But they were only able to ship about 20M
- Or maybe they only shipped 12M
- And the best information we have heard is about 2.1M doses went into arms.

So no, 330M in 14 days was always unachievable and never proposed or expected but we were promised something significantly more than 2.1M actually given.

Ok so there has been a glitch. I'm sure that things will get better as the people do it more. There is always a learning curve. But even if 12 or 20 million doses were given we still might not have them here. People just need to be patient. It may be another few weeks or months before you get yours.

[EdFNJ]

The vaccine was approved on Dec 18. Did anyone expect the entire country to be vaccinated in 16 days?

I don't know how many doses they can produce in a day but it's going to take a while to produce 330 million. Then they have to produce another 330 million. Then there is the issue with this product having to be stored at -95 degrees. Transportation and distribution are going to take a while.

We're only 16 days out people.


Nobody expected the entire country to be vaccinated in 2 weeks but some folks who are supposed to actually know said 20,000,000 will and now are playing the semantics game with "we never said shots given we said shots DELIVERED" ....... to the states who have very little physical resources (PEOPLE) to give the shots. Also, only the Pfizer requires -95 degrees, the Moderna can go into a regular freezer.


But yes, it's gonna take a LONG time as it is a major rollout. We have to be patient but publicly promoted expectations need to be REALISTIC.

[C. C. Rider]

Actually there is such a tool available which is used by the VA. This tool called the Care Assessment Needs or CAN tool that was established in 2013 when the PACT model of care was being rolled out with the goal to better manage chronic diseases and provide earlier intervention to reduce rehospitalizations. This tool compiles multifaceted patient data which generates a score that identify patients who statistically are at the highest risk for hospitalization and mortality. So for example, an 85 year old with few if any chronic diseases, minimal if any hospitalizations, and lives in a single family dwelling will generate a lower CAN score than a 65 year old who lives in a communal living environment such as a nursing home and has multiple chronic diseases that resulted in frequent hospitalizations. Being a VA primary care R.N. I use the CAN tool daily to identify patients that I need to outreach frequently to assess for evolving status changes so that early interventions can be implemented to avoid further status decline.

Not sure if the VA will be using the entire CAN score to determine which patients will be 1st offered Covid vaccines. But I am pretty certain that those Vets residing in communal living situations such as nursing homes and Vets living in group homes and shelters regardless of age and health statue will be offered 1st and encouraged to receive Covid vaccines because due to their communal living situations they are at a very high risk for Covid contraction and spreading it to others they live with communally.

Yeah, but the population of veterans receiving care in VA facilities is a tiny fraction of the hundreds of millions of people in the US who all want to be vaccinated RIGHT NOW! How do you propose that all the information be obtained and input into computers for every one of these hundreds of millions of people in the next week or so?

Also, since everyone has their own reasons or agenda as to why they should be first in line, it's unlikely that they would go along with a system such as the VA uses unless it put THEM first in line. That's just the way people are today.

Veterans, OTOH, are pretty much accustomed to being viewed as just one of huge group whose individual needs are subordinated to the overall group mission. The general public today has no such view of things and is unlikely to agree to ANY rating policy that doesn't put THEM first in line.

That's why I think the AGE ONLY method of determining priority is the best, easiest, and quickest to implement and use. Anything other than that is going to result in constant conflict and disagreement over whose condition warrants more consideration than someone else's condition.

[Aloha1]

Anyone have any luck getting a vaccination scheduled in Sumter county today?

Ha! What a joke. Sumter Health uses it's main number for people to call , including health
care workers, and guess what? System overload. Line has been instantly busy sine 7:55 AM. Hope no one has a legit reason to all for anything else.

[Aloha1]

A partial answer to the question, "Where is our vaccine?" is: At least some of it is in the arms of the Developer's cronies.

Allowing those cronies to cut in line ahead of health-care workers and nursing-home patients was reprehensible, and it may result in the death of some of the high-risk individuals whose doses were, in effect, stolen.

Seriously?? Why are you still living in TV if you are so unhappy and prone to
conspiracy theories?

[John41]

Nobody expected the entire country to be vaccinated in 2 weeks but some folks who are supposed to actually know said 20,000,000 will and now are playing the semantics game with "we never said shots given we said shots DELIVERED" ....... to the states who have very little physical resources (PEOPLE) to give the shots. Also, only the Pfizer requires -95 degrees, the Moderna can go into a regular freezer.


But yes, it's gonna take a LONG time as it is a major rollout. We have to be patient but publicly promoted expectations need to be REALISTIC.

Actually it is the states that have the resources to give the shots. Do you think doctors and nurses from Washington DC are going to come to the states? You are asking for accuracy in vaccination forecasts that is not possible at the start of a major program.

[JoMar]

Seriously?? Why are you still living in TV if you are so unhappy and prone to
conspiracy theories?

It's ok, the poster is expressing his disappointment that he isn't one of the cronies. If he was I suspect he would have been up there. Another perspective, we need somewhere around 130,000 doses to get everyone in Sumter their first shot, then another 130,000 doses for the second shot. The 5 or so doses that were given is the proverbial drop in the bucket. This will take a long time, take a breath and keep masking, spacing and washing let's help each other until we can get the vaccine.

[dahrens1]

Ha! What a joke. Sumter Health uses it's main number for people to call , including health
care workers, and guess what? System overload. Line has been instantly busy sine 7:55 AM. Hope no one has a legit reason to all for anything else.

I finally got through and was told all appointments have been filled for now and to call back later in the week to try to make an appointment. I admit that a system that utilizes appointments is much better than first come first served that we have seen results in long lines of people waiting for hours to get vaccinated. But Sumter county knew this was coming and had months to prepare, is this really the best solution they could come up with?

[John41]

We currently have no problem with vaccine distribution. We have a problem with getting needles in arms. Regardless, the current Surgeon General is not in charge of either component, and the new Surgeon General won't be either. The new Surgeon General was asked his opinion on how fast vaccinations would happen, and he estimated most Americans would be vaccinated by Summer 2021. If the new guys pull this off given the botched roll-out, it will hardly be "failure before trying."

Oh more excuses, blame the future distribution failure on the people who got the impossible to do vaccine developed and got the vaccine distribution started.

You left out that the new SG said lots things could go wrong on meeting that Summer 2021 target leaving plenty of wiggle room for failure to meet the Operation Warp Speed vaccine rollout schedule.

[EdFNJ]

Actually it is the states that have the resources to give the shots. Do you think doctors and nurses from Washington DC are going to come to the states? You are asking for accuracy in vaccination forecasts that is not possible at the start of a major program.The STATES DO NOT HAVE THE RESOURCES and THAT is the problem. They are having enough problems using their existing resources to take care of existing patients. I DO NOT expect the feds to send people all over the country and THAT IS the problem with getting the shots out to PEOPLE and not stuck in freezers. There was no preparation and coordination with the states, As Mr Romney stated SOMETHING IS WRONG. There is no comprehensive vaccination plan. Only plan is to UPS/FEDEX them to the counties and say "good luck." Hopefully something will happen in the next few weeks to move this along. From the link copied below:

Romney: Urgent Action Needed on Vaccination Plan | Senator Mitt Romney (https://www.romney.senate.gov/romney-urgent-action-needed-vaccination-plan)

“First, call on people who have carried out widespread vaccination programs elsewhere or in the past. Learn from their experience.

“Second, enlist every medical professional, retired or active, who is not currently engaged in the delivery of care. This could include veterinarians, combat medics and corpsmen, medical students, EMS professionals, first responders, and many others who could be easily trained to administer vaccines. Congress has already appropriated funding for states so that these professionals can be fully compensated.

“Public health professionals will easily point out the errors in this plan—so they should develop better alternatives based on experience, modeling and trial. The current program is woefully behind despite the fact that it encompasses the two easiest populations to vaccinate: frontline workers and long-term care residents. Unless new strategies and plans are undertaken, the deadly delays may be compounded as broader and more complex populations are added. We are already behind; urgent action now can help us catch up.”

[billethkid]

What is wrong with using the existing flu shot distribution system utilizing pharmacies/big box stores/doctor's offices....

Politicians have no clue how to plan in advance. Their version of fire prevention is....when you see the flames then......

[Bucco]

Oh more excuses, blame the future distribution failure on the people who got the impossible to do vaccine developed and got the vaccine distribution started.

You left out that the new SG said lots things could go wrong on meeting that Summer 2021 target leaving plenty of wiggle room for failure to meet the Operation Warp Speed vaccine rollout schedule.

So the new SG told the truth instead of "pie in the sky" verbage. Lock him up or whatever the new rally cry is.

[coffeebean]

Opinion | When Can I Get a Coronavirus Vaccine in America? - The New York Times (https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2020/12/03/opinion/covid-19-vaccine-timeline.html)

Not sure how accurate the NYT estimator is? I entered my age and the other related questions for Marion County and Sumter County. In Marion it tells me there are 161,000 others ahead of me. In Sumter it indicates 62,000 ahead of me. Being familiar with the demographics for Sumter I'm not so sure how accurate the estimates are.

This is an opinion. Not anything scientific or mathematical.

[John41]

The STATES DO NOT HAVE THE RESOURCES and THAT is the problem. They are having enough problems using their existing resources to take care of existing patients. I DO NOT expect the feds to send people all over the country and THAT IS the problem with getting the shots out to PEOPLE and not stuck in freezers. There was no preparation and coordination with the states, As Mr Romney stated SOMETHING IS WRONG. There is no comprehensive vaccination plan. Only plan is to UPS/FEDEX them to the counties and say "good luck." Hopefully something will happen in the next few weeks to move this along. From the link copied below:

Romney: Urgent Action Needed on Vaccination Plan | Senator Mitt Romney (https://www.romney.senate.gov/romney-urgent-action-needed-vaccination-plan)

“First, call on people who have carried out widespread vaccination programs elsewhere or in the past. Learn from their experience.

“Second, enlist every medical professional, retired or active, who is not currently engaged in the delivery of care. This could include veterinarians, combat medics and corpsmen, medical students, EMS professionals, first responders, and many others who could be easily trained to administer vaccines. Congress has already appropriated funding for states so that these professionals can be fully compensated.

“Public health professionals will easily point out the errors in this plan—so they should develop better alternatives based on experience, modeling and trial. The current program is woefully behind despite the fact that it encompasses the two easiest populations to vaccinate: frontline workers and long-term care residents. Unless new strategies and plans are undertaken, the deadly delays may be compounded as broader and more complex populations are added. We are already behind; urgent action now can help us catch up.”

The CDC did develop and publish a comprehensive plan for vaccine distribution. If the states are busy their patients and the feds are busy with their patients where are these doctors and nurses going to come from that are needed? Take time to think the issue through instead of relying on political sound bytes from Romney and Gates.

[Love2Swim]

Seriously?? Why are you still living in TV if you are so unhappy and prone to
conspiracy theories?

Not a conspiracy theory, it was in the newspaper!

[yabbadu]

WARP Speed at a DEAD STOP!!!!:ohdear:

[Bucco]

Oh more excuses, blame the future distribution failure on the people who got the impossible to do vaccine developed and got the vaccine distribution started.

You left out that the new SG said lots things could go wrong on meeting that Summer 2021 target leaving plenty of wiggle room for failure to meet the Operation Warp Speed vaccine rollout schedule.

Not sure who the "people who got the vaccine impossible to do" developed that you refer to.

This vaccine has been in the works for years, and it took many hardworking folks throughout the world to get it done.

"Researchers were not starting from scratch when they learned about SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19.

SARS-CoV-2 is a member of the coronavirus family. According to the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, there are hundreds of coronaviruses — including four that can cause the common cold, as well as the coronaviruses that sparked the SARS, or severe acute respiratory syndrome, epidemic in 2002 and the emergence of MERS, or Middle East respiratory syndrome, in 2012.

Dr. Eric J. Yager, an associate professor of microbiology at Albany College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences in Albany, NY, told MNT that scientists have been studying coronaviruses for over 50 years. This meant scientists had existing data on the structure, genome, and life cycle of this type of virus.

Dr. Yager explained, “Research on these viruses established the importance of the viral spike (S) protein in viral attachment, fusion, and entry, and identified the S proteins as a target for the development of antibody therapies and vaccines.” He continued:"

COVID-19 vaccine: How was it developed so fast? (https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/how-did-we-develop-a-covid-19-vaccine-so-quickly#Other-coronaviruses)

[OrangeBlossomBaby]

What is wrong with using the existing flu shot distribution system utilizing pharmacies/big box stores/doctor's offices....

Politicians have no clue how to plan in advance. Their version of fire prevention is....when you see the flames then......

Because there aren't enough vaccines to distribute to pharmacies/big box stores/doctors' offices. In addition, not all of those places have the -appropriate- storage, which requires a "super-sub-zero" freezer. Furthermore, smaller stores and doctors' offices would have hundreds of people waiting outside, just to get in, because those stores can't handle crowds that exist pretty specifically to make it no longer necessary to social distance or wear masks.

With the current quantities available, you'd be basically saying "c'mon inside, catch a deadly virus from some random stranger who also happens to be in line, and then we'll make sure that if you don't die in 14 days or end up with permanent lung or heart scarring, you won't catch it again. Maybe."

It's not cost-efficient, it's not practical, it's not pragmatic.

If the vaccine was available in quantities that the flu shots are available, it would still be a problem at first because everyone and their brother is scrambling to get the vaccine. With the flu shot, no one is hurrying to be first in line, and they have a few MONTHS to decide which place they'll get it.

[billethkid]

With just basic planning there could be an accumulation date by which many more doses would be available for distribution.
It is not so difficult to determine which locations in the current system are vaccine storage capable.
Generate list of groups and time frame of when.

Supposedly the manufacturers were to be capable of producing "multi millions per month"......certainly enough to predict the needed filling of a pipeline.....

And so on....very, VERY decision making basic planning.
First order of business is to get the political procrastination the hell out of the decision making process.

[Bucco]

With just basic planning there could be an accumulation date by which many more doses would be available for distribution.
It is not so difficult to determine which locations in the current system are vaccine storage capable.
Generate list of groups and time frame of when.

Supposedly the manufacturers were to be capable of producing "multi millions per month"......certainly enough to predict the needed filling of a pipeline.....

And so on....very, VERY decision making basic planning.
First order of business is to get the political procrastination the hell out of the decision making process.

Good post...makes sense.

Getting the "political" aspect out, should have happened about 11 months ago and we would be better off.

[dahrens1]

The "last mile" (getting shots into arms) seems to be the weak point right now, the major distribution of the vaccine to the states looks more than adequate so far. So if there is a shortage of people to give the shots and do all of the administrative tasks that go with that why not train an army of volunteers to do this? They would of course work under the supervision of a RN, APRN, or MD but it would require far fewer trained professions, who are badly needed elsewhere, then the current plan. During WWII we trained many thousands of "Rosie the riveter" women to work with complex machinery to produce planes, ships, tanks, and all sorts of weapons. They all had little or no experience doing the jobs they did before they were trained but did their jobs extremely well and helped win the war. It couldn't take that long to train someone to properly and safely do just one single thing which is to give the injections and deal with the paper work and other support tasks. Imagine a large convention center with 1000 volunteers taking care of "the last mile". Just thinking outside the box.

[Joe V.]

The "last mile" (getting shots into arms) seems to be the weak point right now, the major distribution of the vaccine to the states looks more than adequate so far. So if there is a shortage of people to give the shots and do all of the administrative tasks that go with that why not train an army of volunteers to do this? They would of course work under the supervision of a RN, APRN, or MD but it would require far fewer trained professions, who are badly needed elsewhere, then the current plan. During WWII we trained many thousands of "Rosie the riveter" women to work with complex machinery to produce planes, ships, tanks, and all sorts of weapons. They all had little or no experience doing the jobs they did before they were trained but did their jobs extremely well and helped win the war. It couldn't take that long to train someone to properly and safely do just one single thing which is to give the injections and deal with the paper work and other support tasks. Imagine a large convention center with 1000 volunteers taking care of "the last mile". Just thinking outside the box.

No liability concerns here? I do not want a steelworker giving me injections.

[C. C. Rider]

No liability concerns here? I do not want a steelworker giving me injections.

Giving an injection safely is not rocket science. A person of average intelligence could easily learn to do so in a one day class. In fact, most of them could learn to do it in about one hour.

[Joe V.]

Giving an injection safely is not rocket science. A person of average intelligence could easily learn to do so in a one day class. In fact, most of them could learn to do it in about one hour.

You the one employing these people? You got the means and money to cover the liability? Leave the medicine application to the professionals. Just because a needle riding junkie can do it to themselves does not mean I want an amateur involved in the process.

[BayLady57]

That's why I think the AGE ONLY method of determining priority is the best, easiest, and quickest to implement and use. Anything other than that is going to result in constant conflict and disagreement over whose condition warrants more consideration than someone else's condition.

Last I heard my facility is expected to receive 200 doses of the Moderna vaccine next week to start administering it to patients since most all the employees who were determined high risk for exposure have already been immunized. I case manage patients for two PCPs of a staff of 30 PCPs and my combined PCP's patient panel size is 2000 patients. Of those 2000 patients of just my PCPs 60 patients are in the age range of 85 and above. Of all the PCPs combined all having roughly the same patient panel size significantly > 200 of all these combined patients are > 85. So with your "AGE ONLY method of determining priority" you tell me without utilizing additional criteria how are you going to immunize a possible 1000 85 year old patients who all want it now and not the following week with only 200 doses of vaccine ????

[Two Bills]

Looking in from the outside, I think the net was cast to wide as far as the age grouping was concernd.
65 + is a huge number in one go.
Think it would have been easier to control demand by starting at 80-85+ and work down in 5-10 year increments.
JMO.

[Sabella]

It seems we can be used by politicians to make announcements and get publicity for themselves, but when it counts, aka COVID vaccine for Sumter County, we're just "chopped liver". Where's our vaccine?

The Sumter County Board of Commissioners released the following statement on COVID-19 vaccination:

"The Sumter County Health Department has not yet established a list, line, or registry for an individual to sign up to receive the vaccine as the State of Florida has not defined the schedule and volume of distribution to Sumter County at this time.

Please watch the Sumter County Health Department website and press releases for future announcements."

Local news station this morning did a story about COVID vaccine for people over the age of 65 and how many of the autos in line to get the vaccine WERE FROM ANOTHER STATE and not residents of Florida. People in cars were interviewed from other states and stated their states rules now were giving vaccines to people over 75 years or some similar reason . Maybe Florida s vaccines should go to seniors who are residents of Florida. Just saying.

[j_vermilya]

This I do know, because it happened to me yesterday: Tried with multiple phones for 4 hours yesterday to get through to Sumter Health, finally got only the message that the event was full. The website only says stay tuned...then after watching local news in the evening I went to every website and link, including those listed as affiliated with Orlando Health and every county site that doesn't require residency...everyone single one was full, it's going to be a long time I think...

[C. C. Rider]

You the one employing these people? You got the means and money to cover the liability? Leave the medicine application to the professionals. Just because a needle riding junkie can do it to themselves does not mean I want an amateur involved in the process.

Why do you think it is so complicated to wipe a person's arm with alcohol, draw some liquid from a vial into a syringe, and then inject the liquid into someone's arm? What part of doing that seems challenging to you?

[Daddymac]

It seems we can be used by politicians to make announcements and get publicity for themselves, but when it counts, aka COVID vaccine for Sumter County, we're just "chopped liver". Where's our vaccine?

The Sumter County Board of Commissioners released the following statement on COVID-19 vaccination:

"The Sumter County Health Department has not yet established a list, line, or registry for an individual to sign up to receive the vaccine as the State of Florida has not defined the schedule and volume of distribution



to Sumter County at this time.




Please watch the Sumter County Health Department website and press releases for future announcements."

:bigbow::bigbow::bigbow:
According to the Democrats we were not going to have the vaccination until the middle of this year. So be patient, Trumps warp speed got it to you early.:welcome::boom:

[C. C. Rider]

Last I heard my facility is expected to receive 200 doses of the Moderna vaccine next week to start administering it to patients since most all the employees who were determined high risk for exposure have already been immunized. I case manage patients for two PCPs of a staff of 30 PCPs and my combined PCP's patient panel size is 2000 patients. Of those 2000 patients of just my PCPs 60 patients are in the age range of 85 and above. Of all the PCPs combined all having roughly the same patient panel size significantly > 200 of all these combined patients are > 85. So with your "AGE ONLY method of determining priority" you tell me without utilizing additional criteria how are you going to immunize a possible 1000 85 year old patients who all want it now and not the following week with only 200 doses of vaccine ????

My post addressed the issue of determining priority. Your post concerns supply issues. Two entirely different issues. Obviously, you can't give shots if you don't have the shots/medicine on hand to give.

[Bill14564]

Why do you think it is so complicated to wipe a person's arm with alcohol, draw some liquid from a vial into a syringe, and then inject the liquid into someone's arm? What part of doing that seems challenging to you?

You don't seem to be considering lawsuits.

There is no chance the Federal Government is going to ship me a box of vaccines to inject into people's arms.

There is a very good chance that there will be lawsuits down the road for something related to the vaccines. There is very little chance CVS or their insurer is going to take the risk of hiring me to inject vaccines into people's arms with no certification and only a 15 minute training session.

[Blackie]

Florida counties use Eventbrite to schedule COVID-19 vaccine appointments - The Verge (https://www.theverge.com/2021/1/4/22213307/covid-vaccine-florida-eventbrite)

[Stanman134]

It’s absurd that the Sumter County Health Dept expects seniors in The Villages to try and call a phone number to try and make a reservation for the COVID vaccine. Been calling the designated phone number and it’s always busy. Why can’t the county establish a web site where residents of The Villages can go on line to request the vaccine. A database can be created in the order someone registers. In numerous other states (I.e. Texas) the registration for the Vaccine is done on line.

[JoMar]

It’s absurd that the Sumter County Health Dept expects seniors in The Villages to try and call a phone number to try and make a reservation for the COVID vaccine. Been calling the designated phone number and it’s always busy. Why can’t the county establish a web site where residents of The Villages can go on line to request the vaccine. A database can be created in the order someone registers. In numerous other states (I.e. Texas) the registration for the Vaccine is done on line.

Several Counties have tried that and servers crashed.....never designed for the volume. Seems they changed to first come first served which creates other issues but when people are impatient, and uninformed, the crush will happen.

[Joe V.]

Why do you think it is so complicated to wipe a person's arm with alcohol, draw some liquid from a vial into a syringe, and then inject the liquid into someone's arm? What part of doing that seems challenging to you?


Why do nurses and doctors receive medical degrees and constant retraining? If they allowed a person to inject themselves I would not object to that. You assume the liability of screw up in that case. Keep the amateurs not trained, licensed and skilled away from the people. Not complicated, as you say, but may be challenging to you.

[JoMar]

Why do nurses and doctors receive medical degrees and constant retraining? If they allowed a person to inject themselves I would not object to that. You assume the liability of screw up in that case. Keep the amateurs not trained, licensed and skilled away from the people. Not complicated, as you say, but may be challenging to you.

Did you have any issues when the allowed pharmacists to perform the service?

[Joe V.]

Did you have any issues when the allowed pharmacists to perform the service?

Duh. A pharmacist is licensed and trained, with a medical degree in pharmacology.

[chet2020]

Oh more excuses, blame the future distribution failure on the people who got the impossible to do vaccine developed and got the vaccine distribution started.

You left out that the new SG said lots things could go wrong on meeting that Summer 2021 target leaving plenty of wiggle room for failure to meet the Operation Warp Speed vaccine rollout schedule.

Excuses for an administration that's not in power yet? Again, the Surgeon General has nothing to do with the vaccine roll-out, not the current one, not the future one.

BTW, providing federal funding to vaccine companies to speed development of a COVID-19 vaccine during a pandemic (Operation Warp Speed), let's face it, was the biggest no-brainer of all time. If you want to do cartwheels over that, that's fine. Too bad they didn't so the same with PPE and COVID-19 test kits, both of which are still inadequate.

[JoMar]

Duh. A pharmacist is licensed and trained, with a medical degree in pharmacology.

The pharmacology degree did not include a lot of stuff they do today....many of the old pharmacists received the same training that they are giving to those that are giving the shots. It's ok though, you can wait for those that you feel are the only ones qualified, I will get it from anyone the health department feels is qualified....and as soon as possible.

[jebartle]

largest retirement 65 plus community in the nation and we have to get in line to receive covid shot in LEESBURG, will remember who is responsible!!!!

[giorgio1948]

No Vacs left in Sumter Health Dept. only received 320 and they are all gone now.
Poor distribution in the early going here.
Unacceptable

[biker1]

Nope. The vaccines are being distributed across the country. There are not 600 million doses available right now. What is available is not all being delivered to Sumter County, as much as you apparently think they should be. Take a chill pill.

No Vacs left in Sumter Health Dept. only received 320 and they are all gone now.
Poor distribution in the early going here.
Unacceptable

[John_W]

I never injected myself until about a year ago, now every other Saturday I give myself an injection of Repatha. It a drug for lowering your cholesterol, it's not a statin, which I became allergic. This goes to the liver and stops the body from creating cholesterol.

The first time I watched a video on youtube and called Repatha and a nurse talked me through the process. There are some Repatha's that are in an injector pen, which you just press against your body and don't even see the needle.

Forever reason, the ones I get from Walmart Pharmacy at Colony are like regular needles. I give it to myself in my stomach. There is absolutely no pain, no bleeding, and it's really not a big deal anymore.

https://encrypted-tbn0.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcSLdWvewgG52uv9a1Z01QJfjCPrHW9fK EeBlQ&usqp=CAU

[Sabella]

You don't seem to be considering lawsuits.

There is no chance the Federal Government is going to ship me a box of vaccines to inject into people's arms.

There is a very good chance that there will be lawsuits down the road for something related to the vaccines. There is very little chance CVS or their insurer is going to take the risk of hiring me to inject vaccines into people's arms with no certification and only a 15 minute training session.

I believe ALL the pharmaceutical companies making the vaccines no matter what the vaccines end up doing to us short or long term CANNOT BE SUED. We the people better wake up .

[EdFNJ]

It’s absurd that the Sumter County Health Dept expects seniors in The Villages to try and call a phone number to try and make a reservation for the COVID vaccine. Been calling the designated phone number and it’s always busy. Why can’t the county establish a web site where residents of The Villages can go on line to request the vaccine. A database can be created in the order someone registers. In numerous other states (I.e. Texas) the registration for the Vaccine is done on line. Well many seniors would have computer problems as well however they did it online today. Sumter County used EVENTRBITE.COM (be careful, there were some EVENTBRITE scams) to "sell free tickets" for tomorrows vaccine. You had to be be FAST AND FIRST so use a PC not a phone. There weren't many because they "sold out" in 6 minutes. Lucky us we got in early for 2. Keep an eye on the Sumter County health dept website. Also they are starting to test a program at PUBLIX stores in Marion County. This was the link for the now SOLD OUT online signup but more will be announced by S.C.H. Sumter County Health Department COVID-19 Vaccination Tickets, Multiple Dates | Eventbrite (https://www.eventbrite.com/e/sumter-county-health-department-covid-19-vaccination-tickets-135393075333)

That being said, we would have much preferred NOT to get tickets if priority went to those essential workers who really need & deserve them however the Gov decided (IMO wrongly) the 65+ should be priority over those folks and if we didn't get one it would still go to another person like us.

[EdFNJ]

Duh. A pharmacist is licensed and trained, with a medical degree in pharmacology.
"Pharmacists are trained in immunization technique and are well versed in how to administer shots, according to Carmen Catizone, D.Ph., executive director of the National Association of Boards of Pharmacy (NABP). "In fact, today, more patients are receiving their vaccinations from pharmacists than other healthcare providers," says Catizone."


Above quote from:
Should You Get Vaccinated at the Pharmacy? - Consumer Reports (https://www.consumerreports.org/vaccines/vaccinations-at-the-pharmacy/)

[Joe V.]

The pharmacology degree did not include a lot of stuff they do today....many of the old pharmacists received the same training that they are giving to those that are giving the shots. It's ok though, you can wait for those that you feel are the only ones qualified, I will get it from anyone the health department feels is qualified....and as soon as possible.

Every practicing pharmacist today has received approved training and certs for injections.

[Joe V.]

"Pharmacists are trained in immunization technique and are well versed in how to administer shots, according to Carmen Catizone, D.Ph., executive director of the National Association of Boards of Pharmacy (NABP). "In fact, today, more patients are receiving their vaccinations from pharmacists than other healthcare providers," says Catizone."


Above quote from:
Should You Get Vaccinated at the Pharmacy? - Consumer Reports (https://www.consumerreports.org/vaccines/vaccinations-at-the-pharmacy/)

I thought I implied that?

[John41]

Good post...makes sense.

Getting the "political" aspect out, should have happened about 11 months ago and we would be better off.

The facts are below
---------------
Read more
New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo is never shy to point out that President Donald Trump attacks him more than any other governor in America.

But on Monday, Cuomo took to an unlikely venue -- The Howard Stern Show -- to offer genuine praise for the president's response to the coronavirus in his home state.

"He has delivered for New York. He has," Cuomo said of Trump, in response to a question from Stern about whether the president has really done anything of consequence to help.

"By and large it has worked," Cuomo said of the relationship.

[John41]

Not sure who the "people who got the vaccine impossible to do" developed that you refer to.

This vaccine has been in the works for years, and it took many hardworking folks throughout the world to get it done.

"Researchers were not starting from scratch when they learned about SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19.

SARS-CoV-2 is a member of the coronavirus family. According to the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, there are hundreds of coronaviruses — including four that can cause the common cold, as well as the coronaviruses that sparked the SARS, or severe acute respiratory syndrome, epidemic in 2002 and the emergence of MERS, or Middle East respiratory syndrome, in 2012.

Dr. Eric J. Yager, an associate professor of microbiology at Albany College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences in Albany, NY, told MNT that scientists have been studying coronaviruses for over 50 years. This meant scientists had existing data on the structure, genome, and life cycle of this type of virus.

Dr. Yager explained, “Research on these viruses established the importance of the viral spike (S) protein in viral attachment, fusion, and entry, and identified the S proteins as a target for the development of antibody therapies and vaccines.” He continued:"

COVID-19 vaccine: How was it developed so fast? (https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/how-did-we-develop-a-covid-19-vaccine-so-quickly#Other-coronaviruses)

Yes it was in the works for years and it would have been more years had Operation Warp Speed not brought it to fruition in mere months.
----------------------
Dr. Yager said that thanks to advances in genomic sequencing, researchers successfully uncovered the viral sequence of SARS-CoV-2 in January 2020 — roughly 10 days after the first reported pneumonia cases in Wuhan, China. The ability to fast-track research and clinical trials was a direct result of this worldwide cooperation.

[dahrens1]

As was mentioned in a previous post Publix started giving out appointments for the vaccine shot at some of their pharmacies in the Ocala area. They are all gone now but more will become available soon.

COVID-19 Vaccine | Publix Super Markets (https://www.publix.com/covid-vaccine/?utm_source=vanity&utm_medium=direct&utm_term=covidvaccine&utm_campaign=PCN19449)

[dahrens1]

From the Florida Department of Health Website:
COVID-19: vaccine summary
Vaccination data through Jan 6, 2021 as of Jan 7, 2021 at 12:05 AM
Total cumulative number of first doses given by county

Citrus 2,283
Hernando 2,656
Lake 7,728
Marion 4,051
Orange 28,008
Seminole 10,242
Sumter 1,218

[rmd2]

Out of all the counties in Florida Sumter County the 6th LOWEST in vaccinations!
The Villages is the 5th largest community in Florida! Other large populations have vaccinations 400 to 500. We have 45!! Who is looking out for us?!

[rmd2]

Hopefully, it's being given to those who have to work and interact with the public, instead of those who have the ability to stay home and are simply just bored and feel inconvenienced.

Really?? Older people are the ones who are most likely to die from it!!

[rmd2]

Sumter County residents can call (352) 569-3102 starting Jan. 4 to schedule an appointment.

Before signing up, residents must review the pre-vaccination checklist link provided by The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention at: https://www.cdc.gov/vaccines/covid-19/downloads/pre-vaccination-screening-form.pdf.
This is now Jan 7th and that number has been busy all day every day since the 4th.

[Bill14564]

Out of all the counties in Florida Sumter County the 6th LOWEST in vaccinations!
The Villages is the 5th largest community in Florida! Other large populations have vaccinations 400 to 500. We have 45!! Who is looking out for us?!

According to the FL Dept of Heatlh report (http://ww11.doh.state.fl.us/comm/_partners/covid19_report_archive/vaccine/vaccine_report_latest.pdf), Sumter is doing much better than sixth lowest - it is about 39th in total vaccinations given.

Your 45 number might be the number of vaccinations just yesterday and even then we aren't sixth lowest (more like 10th). I wonder if that 45 number is accurate.

While we may have the 5th largest retirement community (I actually thought it was the largest), Sumter county is about the 32nd largest county in FL (https://worldpopulationreview.com/us-counties/states/fl).

Sumter county's position in total vaccinations given (39th) is not too far off from it's position in total population (32).

[EdFNJ]

This is now Jan 7th and that number has been busy all day every day since the 4th. Because that number is shut down. That group of vaccines was gone. That number was only for that ONE DAY of vaccines. They are using EVENTBRITE website to schedule appointments but since there are none available as of last night there will be no way to schedule. Best place to check is the Sumter County Dept of Health website. ALL info is updated there including when they get their next shipment and a web link to try to schedule if you can get through. They are at the mercy of the Feds to ship vaccines. If you keep trying that number you will NEVER EVER get a vaccine.

Yesterday (thursday) they had just about 310 to give, they received over 35,000 ATTEMPTS to schedule on that website and were "sold out" in under 10 minutes.

[Altavia]

Large cities have more doses and a lower percentage of 65+ Which means more doses available for those in a hurry and willing to take a 1-2 HR drive.

Relatives had no problem registering and getting vaccinated in Jacksonville.